What is inadequate separation (segregation) of duties for PKIs?

What is inadequate separation (segregation) of duties for PKIs?

Inadequate separation of duties for PKIs refers to a situation where multiple individuals or groups within an organization have access to the same critical functions or resources related to the PKI system.

This can lead to a lack of accountability and increase the risk of security breaches.

For example, suppose the same group of individuals is responsible for issuing digital certificates and managing the private keys associated with those certificates. In that case, they may be able to issue fraudulent certificates or use private keys in unauthorized ways.

Similarly, if the same group is responsible for managing the PKI infrastructure and performing security audits, they may be less likely to identify and report vulnerabilities in the system.

Different groups or individuals should be responsible for different aspects of the PKI system, such as certificate issuance, key management, and security monitoring, to ensure adequate separation of duties.

This allows for checks and balances and makes it harder for a single person or group to compromise the system.

Learn more about:

Securing your Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)

IoT & PKI: Securing Internet and Things